When is crossplay coming to Overwatch? Blizzard announces new Battle.net update

Overwatch, the video game by Blizzard is one of the most popular multiplayer games available right now, with millions of monthly players. The game is available on multiple platforms such as PC, Play Station, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. However, one option that players have been asking for a long time is the option to enable crossplay between different platforms, so players can play Overwatch with their friends even if they are on separate consoles such as PC and Xbox. Blizzard Entertainment has finally made the announcement that cross-platform matchmaking is going to be introduced into the game as Overwatch crossplay beta. Read on to know when is crossplay coming to Overwatch. 

When is crossplay coming to Overwatch?

As per an article by Polygon, Blizzard Entertainment is going to bring cross-platform play to Overwatch, a feature that players of the game have long been asking for. As per the article, Blizzard is going to enable crossplay in Overwatch within Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One. Cross-play in Overwatch is being enabled through the latest major game update called Battle.net, which is Blizzard's online multiplayer platform. However, Blizzard has not yet announced a specific release date, but mentioned that crossplay will be enabled 'soon'. 

In order to use the Overwatch crossplay features, players will need to have a Battle.net account and link it with their Overwatch accounts on whichever console they are playing with. As per Polygon, the new update will also merge all the friends from the Battle.net account into one list, meaning players won't have to change locations to play with their friends who are on the other side of the world. It should be noted that all PC players already have Battle.net accounts. Players playing from Xbox PlayStation and Nintendo Switch users would have to sign up for the Battle.net accounts and sync with their Overwatch accounts. Blizzard has announced that with this new update, players will have to sign up for Battle.net regardless of whether they want to play crossplay. Readers can take a look at this official video released by Blizzard Entertainment about the latest Overwatch update down below. 

Blizzard has also announced that crossplay support for Overwatch does not mean players will have cross-progression. Players' levels and cosmetics can't carry over from different consoles. While cross-play will be available in all Overwatch game modes, Blizzard has planned to limit cross-play in the competitive modes. Players who are playing Overwatch competitive mode will only be placed alongside their own console players. So, if a player on PC is playing Overwatch competitive mode with cross-play turned on, they will still be matched with other PC players, due to the competitive game mode. 

IMAGE: STILL FROM OVERWATCH